# Would you rather have a Legion flight ring or a Starfleet food replicator? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 11, 2012, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-a-legion-flight-ring-or-a-starfleet-food-replicator/627899 "2012-07-11T15:43:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-a-legion-flight-ring-or-a-starfleet-food-replicator/627899/21 "2012-07-11T17:23:07Z")
I looked for the Uhura blow up doll option. I’m quite sad it’s not there. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-a-legion-flight-ring-or-a-starfleet-food-replicator/627899/22 "2012-07-11T17:23:20Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Wouldn’t that be cheating? The flight ring isn’t supernatural, just insanely advanced tech. I don’t see why. Whether it works by technobabble or leylines, it’s still a ring that lets me fly otherwise unaided. I mean, if you had a magic wand that was really just a voice-and-thought-activated do-anything device, I think it would still qualify as a supernatural device for Randi’s purposes. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-a-legion-flight-ring-or-a-starfleet-food-replicator/627899/23 "2012-07-11T17:51:57Z")
> [@core\_dump](#): > > Wow that was kind of disturbing when I first saw it. I was expecting something else altogether! Well, sometimes a cake is just a cake. With mint frosting. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-a-legion-flight-ring-or-a-starfleet-food-replicator/627899/24 "2012-07-11T18:00:55Z")
The replicator would be an accident waiting to happen for me. Something bad would happen, like it would go off while I’ve got my hand inside, and it would start rewriting my DNA as a human-popcorn hybrid. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-a-legion-flight-ring-or-a-starfleet-food-replicator/627899/25 "2012-07-11T18:06:21Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > The replicator would be an accident waiting to happen for me. Something bad would happen, like it would go off while I’ve got my hand inside, and it would start rewriting my DNA as a human-popcorn hybrid. I can’t recall a single replicator accident in Trek (unless you count the holodeck as a giant replicator with invisible marionette strings, which I wouldn’t). Just as the magnetron on your microwave oven won’t start unless the door is sealed, the replicator is surely going to have sensors to prevent such an accident. > [@Morgenstern](#): > > I looked for the Uhura blow up doll option. I’m quite sad it’s not there. The usual threats. However hot 60s Nichellel Nichols was (and she was ridiculously hot), she was not your sex toy; she’s a lady. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-a-legion-flight-ring-or-a-starfleet-food-replicator/627899/26 "2012-07-11T18:13:15Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > The replicator would be an accident waiting to happen for me. And a flight ring _isn’t_? The FAA would be all over that shit. By the time they got finished with all the flight restrictions, you’d never be able to leave the ground for all the add-on safety equipment required. Not to mention the licensing rerquirements. And with those they’d have to start from scratch, since you are neither single engine, multi-engine or glider. Ultra-light, perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-a-legion-flight-ring-or-a-starfleet-food-replicator/627899/27 "2012-07-11T18:48:19Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > And a flight ring _isn’t_? The FAA would be all over that shit. By the time they got finished with all the flight restrictions, you’d never be able to leave the ground for all the add-on safety equipment required. Not to mention the licensing rerquirements. And with those they’d have to start from scratch, since you are neither single engine, multi-engine or glider. Ultra-light, perhaps? I hadn’t thought of that. The replicator is going to be a lot easier to keep on the down-low than the flight ring. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-a-legion-flight-ring-or-a-starfleet-food-replicator/627899/28 "2012-07-11T18:57:55Z")
Replicator. Half the time I’m too lazy to cook, and with my tiny kitchen cooking and cleaning is a pain (although it would be less if I cleaned after every meal, but see the aforementioned ‘lazy’). As I recall, the replicators would take back the dishes for more fuel, which should extend the life. Plus, dude, if I get take out to scan I could have sushi every night, until the mercury content killed me. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-a-legion-flight-ring-or-a-starfleet-food-replicator/627899/29 "2012-07-11T19:18:45Z")
The flight ring would be dangerous, but the food replicator would bring civilization to its knees. The economy would utterly collapse. Dark Ages time. Think about it. The demand for the thing would explode. Once they’re widespread, there’s no need to transport food anymore. Therefore, demand on fossil fuels bottoms out. The petroleum industry more-or-less instantly becomes far less profitable (except maybe for coal-fired power generation). It’d almost be like Kunstler’s [Long Emergency](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_Emergency), in that economies would become intensely localized, and transportation of anything more than a few miles would become very, very difficult. Global food trade would grind to a halt. Millions in developing countries would starve to death. It would be an unmitigated disaster. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-a-legion-flight-ring-or-a-starfleet-food-replicator/627899/30 "2012-07-11T19:21:03Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > The usual threats. However hot 60s Nichellel Nichols was (and she was ridiculously hot), she was not your sex toy; she’s a lady. Can I have a young Kirk sex doll then? (Not that I would actually do anything with it.) But…those eyes! ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-a-legion-flight-ring-or-a-starfleet-food-replicator/627899/31 "2012-07-11T19:46:26Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Can I have a young Kirk sex doll then? (Not that I would actually do anything with it.) But…those eyes! You define the Short List, Mika, so of course the answer is yes. But I’m going to assume you don’t mean a blow-up doll, because that’s gross and you’re not gross, but rather a Jude Law model hookerbot with the holomatrix rejiggered to look like [this](http://swoonworthy.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/william-shatner-shirtless-17.jpg) or [this](http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x02hd/charliexhd329.jpg) (or maybe [this](http://i.imgur.com/6wzSM.jpg), so you can comfort him). But presumably not like [this.](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VZTUIcd-cas/TmfsGg9E6VI/AAAAAAAAHEM/uYAwe1zCB-c/s1600/william+shatner+rookie.jpg) I understand not wanting to cheat on your SO, but I think using a hookerbot is basically a more elaborate and fulfilling form of, ah, self-fulfillment rather than infidelity. Anyway if he objects, tell him I will provide an [Andrea](http://images.wikia.com/memory-gamma/images/2/27/Whatarelittlegirlsmadeofhd130.jpg) model and charge it to Bill Clinton’s account. > [@Ogre](#): > > The flight ring would be dangerous, but the food replicator would bring civilization to its knees. The economy would utterly collapse. Dark Ages time. Think about it. The demand for the thing would explode. Once they’re widespread, there’s no need to transport food anymore. Therefore, demand on fossil fuels bottoms out. The petroleum industry more-or-less instantly becomes far less profitable (except maybe for coal-fired power generation). > > It’d almost be like Kunstler’s [Long Emergency](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_Emergency), in that economies would become intensely localized, and transportation of anything more than a few miles would become very, very difficult. Global food trade would grind to a halt. Millions in developing countries would starve to death. > > It would be an unmitigated disaster. I only have a couple dozen of these things, dude. Anyway, once the charges on the few I give out are exhausted, they can’t be used. And even if somebody figures out how to replenish the power packs, there’s just no way they aren’t more energy intensive than moving food around the old fashioned way. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-a-legion-flight-ring-or-a-starfleet-food-replicator/627899/32 "2012-07-11T19:49:04Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > You define the Short List, Mika, so of course the answer is yes. But I’m going to assume you don’t mean a blow-up doll, because that’s gross and you’re not gross, but rather a Jude Law model hookerbot with the holomatrix rejiggered to look like [this](http://swoonworthy.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/william-shatner-shirtless-17.jpg) or [this](http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x02hd/charliexhd329.jpg) (or maybe [this](http://i.imgur.com/6wzSM.jpg), so you can comfort him). But presumably not like [this.](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VZTUIcd-cas/TmfsGg9E6VI/AAAAAAAAHEM/uYAwe1zCB-c/s1600/william+shatner+rookie.jpg) > > I understand not wanting to cheat on your SO, but I think using a hookerbot is basically a more elaborate and fulfilling form of, ah, self-fulfillment rather than infidelity. Anyway if he objects, tell him I will provide an [Andrea](http://images.wikia.com/memory-gamma/images/2/27/Whatarelittlegirlsmadeofhd130.jpg) model and charge it to Bill Clinton’s account. > > I only have a couple dozen of these things, dude. Anyway, once the charges on the few I give out are exhausted, they can’t be used. And even if somebody figures out how to replenish the power packs, there’s just no way they aren’t more energy intensive than moving food around the old fashioned way. Then there would be wars of conquest over the ownership of the few that existed. Unmitigated. Disaster. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-a-legion-flight-ring-or-a-starfleet-food-replicator/627899/33 "2012-07-11T20:12:30Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Wouldn’t that be cheating? The flight ring isn’t supernatural, just insanely advanced tech. I predict that if **Chronos** comes into the thread, he’ll want to try to take apart and reverse-engineer whichever he picks. Chronos, hell, Skald. The very FIRST thing I thought of is ‘Replicator, for future tech acquisition.’ Seriously, though, I wouldn’t do ANYTHING to try to reverse engineer it myself. That’s out of my skill set. I’d hit up some of the big engineering firms, or even Apple, and set up a bidding war. Apple’s sitting on 10s of billions of dollars in cash…I’d like some of that, please. Maybe with a small percentage in gross following the sale. That, my friend, is how you thrive. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-a-legion-flight-ring-or-a-starfleet-food-replicator/627899/34 "2012-07-11T20:31:19Z")
I’d have to go with the food replicator. The flight ring would: 1. Get me into too much trouble; there is no way I wouldn’t be shot at, by SOMEone. 2. Run out of fuel much sooner than the replicator 3. Be difficult/impossible to keep hush-hush. I like my quiet life; do not want multiple government agencies in my business and up my ass. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-a-legion-flight-ring-or-a-starfleet-food-replicator/627899/35 "2012-07-11T20:40:50Z")
Flight ring, without doubt. Because the Legion is way cooler than Star Trek, particularly Next Generation Star Trek. I have comics which prove this. … Provided I don’t have to wear the appropriate uniforms while using the devices. In which case, neither. Because I’m not walking in public wearing Starfleet pyjamas. And don’t even _ask_ about that Cosmic Boy bustier. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-a-legion-flight-ring-or-a-starfleet-food-replicator/627899/36 "2012-07-11T20:45:07Z")
No amount of free food can compete with the power to fly. Flying is literally the pinnacle of what people dream of doing. And you’re not even offering a real replicator. There’s no reason for it not to be able to make things other than food except for stingy lockout commands. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-a-legion-flight-ring-or-a-starfleet-food-replicator/627899/37 "2012-07-11T20:45:51Z")
Food replicator. Because then I can become Energy-to-Matter Eater Lad. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-a-legion-flight-ring-or-a-starfleet-food-replicator/627899/38 "2012-07-11T20:57:33Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Wouldn’t it be _easier_ to eat healthier with the replicator? A day at the farmer’s market and an evening spent scanning samples, and you’ve got endless fresh fruits & veggies at your disposal. Why would I eat fruits and veggies when I can have Beef Wellington or a 20 lb. steamed whole Maine lobster whenever I want? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-a-legion-flight-ring-or-a-starfleet-food-replicator/627899/39 "2012-07-11T20:59:56Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > Why would I eat fruits and veggies when I can have Beef Wellington or a 20 lb. steamed whole Maine lobster whenever I want? Intelligence? ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-a-legion-flight-ring-or-a-starfleet-food-replicator/627899/40 "2012-07-11T21:04:25Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Intelligence? Did you see my post about eating sushi until I died of mercury poisoning? Intelligence probably doesn’t come into play. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-a-legion-flight-ring-or-a-starfleet-food-replicator/627899.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-have-a-legion-flight-ring-or-a-starfleet-food-replicator/627899.md?page=3)